Broken Glove Box Latch

Some dimwit broke into my truck and stole some stuff I had in the passenger compartment, but also the entire contents of my glove box (including the original owner's manual ) In the process, they proceeded to break the latch that holds the glove box closed:



I can hear some rattling inside, so something is definitely snapped off in there. Now the box hangs open unless I tape it up, which the missus doesn't like. I looked into fixing it, and it seems like there's not an easy way to get the glove box out (you have to remove the knee curtain airbag?!) and the dealership quoted $800 to replace it which jives with the PITA factor of removing it.

Has anyone done this before? Do I need a whole new assembly, or are there hidden screws someplace to get at just the latch to replace only the broken bits? Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

And yes - the glove box was UNLOCKED at the time.

 

Maybe see if a junkyard has just the door?

 

Why not insurance claim ? Unless your deductible is higher than the box . I believe u need to replace the entire box .

 

I didn't file a claim for that reason. ~$1200 of stuff stolen with a $1k deductible, wasn't worth it to me. At the time I thought the latch would be an hour on a Saturday and a $15 part, but that seems very naive in hindsight. I'm working with the DA to get restitution, so I will add the $800 to that claim if it's not an easy fix.

 

wonder if this would work for you? it looks like the glove box latch...

or you could always ask Jeff Lange in this thread to ask if this is the right part number and if that latch is replaceable:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2020-parts-list.619005/page-45

 

same thing recently happened to me, so now i have to replace my entire glovebox?

 

I haven't taken the time to fix this yet - I have it taped up currently, d'oh!

I looked into taking the whole thing out to see if just the latch can be replaced, and I think it can. Once I have a free weekend day I'll do that, but it'll be a few weeks probably I'll report back my findings.

 

Glue some Neodymium magnets to it and call it beer thirty.

 

Reporting back that this is expensive and a pain in the butt but totally possible to DIY.

No place I asked would sell me anything other than the entire glove box assembly. If anyone needs it, it is:

Part No.: 55320-04010-C1
PANEL ASSY, INSTRUME

Mine is a 2017, and came with the divider/insert thing as well, plus the cabin air filter cover. I paid about $360 (!!) for it.

It is worth noting not to throw your old one away just yet! You need to recover the lock cylinder, since it's matched to your key. It's pretty simple to get the old one out, just depress the brass tab and it should pop out the front. It's indexed with three splines, so should only fit in the new box in one orientation.

Anyway, there's a lot of screws and whatnot to get at it, but grab a screwdriver and get into it!